THE man suspected of being the crazed gunman who tried to open fire on a packed train claims he found a bag of guns and knives and planned to rob people with them.

The gunman has been taken into custody but is apparently refusing to speak

Counter-terrorism experts have named the suspect as Ayoub El Khazzani, a 26-year-old Moroccan who has links to Islamic State and was being watched by French police.

He was tackled to the floor by three Americans, including two US military personnel, and a British man after they heard him loading an AK-47 on the high-speed Thayls train from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday.

A Spanish anti-terrorist official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed El Khazzani had lived in Spain until last year, moved to France then travelled to Turkey then Syria where he is believed to have trained with ISIS before returning to France.

He was also arrested in Spain at least once for a drug related source, the source revealed.

But today the man's lawyer said his client had been shocked and surprised "to the point of being amused" when he was arrested.

He told police he had found a bag stuffed full of guns and a knife in Brussels and decided to use them to rob people.

El Khazzani said: "He does not nderstand why this story has taken on such importance. He says he just wanted to extort money from Thalys passengers, nothing else. He denies that there was any terrorist dimension to his plot. That almost made him laugh.

"From the outset he has refused to disclose his identity and that of his parents. He claims he found the Kalashnikov, the Luger handgun and a mobile phone abandoned in a bag at the station in Brussels where he had been sleeping. He's been homeless since his ID papers were stolen in Brussels.

"He previously worked as a house painter in Spain and was convicted of two drug trafficking offences in 2013.

"Over the past six months he has travelled to Spain, Andorra, Belgium, Austria Belgium, Germany and France. However he denies he ever went to Turkey or Syria."

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Spencer Stone, the US Air Force serviceman who stopped him in his tracks, has been personally commended by President Barack Obama.

Mr Stone ran down the aisle of the train to tackle the would-be terrorist and saved potentially hundreds of people.

The US Air Force serviceman was injured in the hand as he came face to face with the AK-47 wielding attacker.

But yesterday the humble hero gave a quick wave as he left the Lille hospital in a sling before slipping into a black car with diplomatic number plates.

President Obama telephoned Mr Stone along with US National Guard soldier Alek Skarlatos, 22, and Anthony Sadler, to congratulate them for their courage and quick action.

The American president wished Mr Stone a full and speedy recovery, and expressed how proud all Americans are of their extraordinary bravery.

REUTERS

Spencer Stone leaving hospital this evening

AP

Ayoub El-Khazzani has been named as the suspected gunman

The group thwarted the Morrocan gunman’s attempts to take out the train passengers after hearing him loading his gun in the toilets.

The gunman stormed out and opened fire shortly after crossing the French border but fortunately the American trio and British passenger Chris Norman overpowered him and tied him up before he could slaughter passengers.

He was carrying at least nine magazines of ammunition with enough rounds to kill all 554 passengers on the train.

US National Guard soldier Mr Skarlatos, 22, said he helped tackle the attacker with his friend Mr Stone.

He said: "I just got back from Afghanistan last month, and this was my vacation from Afghanistan."

Their friend, physio therapist student Mr Sadler, who was travelling with them described the moment the pair jumped into action.

He said: "As he was cocking it to shoot it, Alek just yells, `Spencer, go!' And Spencer runs down the aisle.

"Spencer makes first contact, he tackles the guy, Alek wrestles the gun away from him, and the gunman pulls out a box cutter and slices Spencer a few times. And the three of us beat him until he was unconscious.

"He was just telling us to give back his gun. 'Give me back my gun! Give me back my gun!' But we just carried on beating him up and immobilised him and that was it."

French Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said the suspect had been flagged by Spanish authorities last year for links to ISIS.

French journalist and fellow train passenger Ahmed Meguini captured the moment the gunman was wrestled to the ground.

The group moved into the next carriage, after picking up the gun, expecting to find more gunmen but they were met with another passenger who had his neck slashed by the gunman before he had attempted to shoot people.

Mr Skarlatos applied a compress and saved his life.

Passenger Mr Norman, 62, a Briton who lives in France, was awarded a bravery medal along with the three Americans after he helped subdue the attacker.

He said: "I looked up and saw a guy carrying an AK47 or at least I assume it was some kind of machine-gun.

"It could have been a real carnage, there's no question about that.

"I came in at the end of it all and helped get him under control," he said at a news conference in Arras.

"The guy pulled out a cutter and started cutting Spencer - he cut behind his neck and nearly cut his thumb off."

A statement from Number 10 Downing Street, said: "The Prime Minister praised the extraordinary courage of the passengers who intervened and helped disarm the gunman, including the British consultant Chris Norman.

"The bravery of Mr Norman and the other passengers helped to prevent a terrible incident.”

Mr Skarlotos', stepmother, Karen Skarlotos said: "It does not surprise me in the least that Alek would act when action was needed, because that is the kind of guy he is. He has always been that way.

"He is brave, he is strong, courageous, and it just doesn't surprise me that he would be the one, or one of the ones, that would get the job done."

French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade, who was on board with his girlfriend and two children, has criticised the train staff for locking themselves in a special carriage and leaving passengers to fend for themselves.

It was no thanks to the train staff that the three Americans and one British man risked their lives to save the other passengers, the Betty Blue and Nikita actor said.

He said: "We heard screaming passengers in English, 'He shoots! He shoots! He has a Kalashnikov!''

"Suddenly, members of the crew ran into the hallway and their faces were pale."

He said the staff rushed towards a locked car and opened it "with a special key" before locking themselves inside.

Mr Anglade claims he and other passengers banged on the door and shouted at staff to open up, but their cries for help were ignored.

He said: "Nobody replied, there was radio silence. It was terrible and unbearable, it was inhumane.

"The minutes seemed like hours and protected my children with my whole body, telling them everything was fine."

US President Barack Obama has praised the pair, with a White House statement saying: "The president expressed his profound gratitude for the courage and quick thinking of several passengers, including US service members, who selflessly subdued the attacker.

"It is clear that their heroic actions may have prevented a far worse tragedy."

A spokesman for the Oregon Military Department, where the two soldiers are stationed, said: “Obviously these military members reverted to their training, their military training and experience and they were able to drop on that and utilise it to save countless lives today.

“To be honest, I’m not an organiser for parades or anything, but I think these two guys deserve a tickertape parade when they arrive back home to Oregon.

"They were in the right place at the right time and were able to jump on this guy and keep him from doing more harm."

REUTERS

French judicial police stand on the train platform near gun cartridges

In a news conference near the scene at a railway station in Arras, northern France, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the two Americans were "particularly courageous and showed extreme bravery in extremely difficult circumstances".

Anti-terror police are now investigating the horror incident.

Three people were injured in the attack, including the US soldier and French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade, Mr Cazeneuve said.

No British nationals were injured in the attack, the Foreign Office said.

A spokesman for French railway SNCF said: "The man was armed with automatic weapons and blades. He was stopped by passengers."

Counter terrorism police took over the investigation after local police had earlier said they had not ruled out terrorism as a motive.

French President Francois Hollande said: “I express my solidarity with the wounded from the attack. Everything is being done to shed light on this tragedy.”

The suspect is a 26-year-old Moroccan, according to an official with police union Alliance, who spoke on French television.

He said nothing to officers after his arrest, a police source said.

The attack happened around 6pm local time.

The Thalys official Twitter account tweeted: "The situation is under control, the travellers are safe. The train stopped and the emergency services are on site."

Arras station was evacuated after the incident as paramedics helped treat the injured.